Coping with total unfill??

[jms462001 9]

I have to get a total unfill on Wed for upcoming surgery. I will be unfilled for a few weeks. I was wondering how others may have handled being unfilled. Was it very difficult? Was the appetite huge and was there a great difference in the way you ate? Were you able to stay on your program?

[marieveeee 0]

Hi My name is Marie, I just started on here last night. I read your post. I was unfilled last November because I told the doc I had some acid reflux. Instead of just giving me medication, he removed all the Fluid the day before Thanksgiving. I had those hunger pangs again, which had gone away after starting my adjustments. Be careful. Try to eat the right things. I am looking for another doc to take care of me. That doctor apparently was leaving to go to another hospital for another position and the docs there are just not putting me back to where I was at 2.50 cc. I have put on 25 lbs since last November. Good luck with your surgery.

Marie

[luluc 6]

I have to get a total unfill on Wed for upcoming surgery. I will be unfilled for a few weeks. I was wondering how others may have handled being unfilled. Was it very difficult? Was the appetite huge and was there a great difference in the way you ate? Were you able to stay on your program?

i was unfilled for 5wks.

actually my dr left 1.5cc in - but i had started at 7.2c, so i was wide open.

my appetite did return & i definitely ate more - BUT i doubled my workout intensity & managed to lose 3lbs.

i had to force myself to push the plate away, as i could physically eat more. wasn't easy but it was great practice.

i was able to get a decent size fill last wk, after my barium came back OK......when i stepped on the scale @ the dr's office i said i know i gained, nope i had lost & was beyond estatic.

good luck

[coloradobanding 5]

I was unfilled for approx. 12 weeks and absolutely LOVED it!!

As a disclaimer, I have always aspired to lose weight with restriction until I learned how to eat, and then planned on living with an unfilled band (just FYI).

Personally, I found it much easier to eat the right foods (chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, etc.) and did so regularly. You can eat slider foods with the band full or empty, so you are always going to rely on some kind of will power.

I felt so free without a fill that I was anxious and unafraid to eat the good foods. I have a very small fill (2cc in 10cc band) and that is definitely my "sweet spot."

My advice is to look forward to being unfilled and use the opportunity to eat the good foods (those that bandsters usually have a problem eating while restricted) without issue. I don't see unfilling as a problem, I see it as the solution, but that is just me! Good luck, you can do this!

[lipstix64 1]

WHAT A GREAT POST!!! EVERYONE'S FEAR IS BEING UNFILLED AND GAINING THE ALL THE WEIGHT BACK. IM HOPING THAT ONCE IM DOWN TO MY GOAL THAT I CAN HAVE AN UN-FILL AND STILL CONTROL HOW I EAT, WHILE EATING THE GOODS FOODS I'VE BEEN MISSING. THANKS !!:frown:

I was unfilled for approx. 12 weeks and absolutely LOVED it!!

As a disclaimer, I have always aspired to lose weight with restriction until I learned how to eat, and then planned on living with an unfilled band (just FYI).

Personally, I found it much easier to eat the right foods (chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, etc.) and did so regularly. You can eat slider foods with the band full or empty, so you are always going to rely on some kind of will power.

I felt so free without a fill that I was anxious and unafraid to eat the good foods. I have a very small fill (2cc in 10cc band) and that is definitely my "sweet spot."

My advice is to look forward to being unfilled and use the opportunity to eat the good foods (those that bandsters usually have a problem eating while restricted) without issue. I don't see unfilling as a problem, I see it as the solution, but that is just me! Good luck, you can do this!

[northland 0]

I really liked these posts. I have not had a fill yet, banded July 17th and will get my first fill on September 16th. I like the lack of restriction, But I am losing a ton of weight and I wondered If I ever had to have a fill. My Nurse said 'why did you get a band if you will not fill it?" I said if it is working why fill it at all? - no answer. Still I will talk with the Doc on fill day to see what he thinks. Good food choices are key!

[jms462001 9]

Hi My name is Marie, I just started on here last night. I read your post. I was unfilled last November because I told the doc I had some acid reflux. Instead of just giving me medication, he removed all the Fluid the day before Thanksgiving. I had those hunger pangs again, which had gone away after starting my adjustments. Be careful. Try to eat the right things. I am looking for another doc to take care of me. That doctor apparently was leaving to go to another hospital for another position and the docs there are just not putting me back to where I was at 2.50 cc. I have put on 25 lbs since last November. Good luck with your surgery.

Marie

Thanks for your reply. I don't know how much you lost, but Nov is a long time back as that is when I had surgery. I'm sure I would have gained a lot more than 25! I hope you get taken care of soon! I will try to be careful It figures this would happen right when I reached my original goal!! A test I guess!!

[jms462001 9]

i was unfilled for 5wks.

actually my dr left 1.5cc in - but i had started at 7.2c, so i was wide open.

my appetite did return & i definitely ate more - BUT i doubled my workout intensity & managed to lose 3lbs.

i had to force myself to push the plate away, as i could physically eat more. wasn't easy but it was great practice.

i was able to get a decent size fill last wk, after my barium came back OK......when i stepped on the scale @ the dr's office i said i know i gained, nope i had lost & was beyond estatic.

good luck

Good for you!!! Unfortunately, I also have to lay around!! God help me!!

[coloradobanding 5]

I really liked these posts. I have not had a fill yet, banded July 17th and will get my first fill on September 16th. I like the lack of restriction, But I am losing a ton of weight and I wondered If I ever had to have a fill. My Nurse said 'why did you get a band if you will not fill it?" I said if it is working why fill it at all? - no answer. Still I will talk with the Doc on fill day to see what he thinks. Good food choices are key!

Thanks for the post. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't listen to those who say get a fill if you don't need one.

I DID THIS and lived to regret it! Some people WANT the restriction, others don't need it. When I told my Dr I wanted an unfill, he told me of several of his patients who had lost their weight without EVER having a fill. It is different for everyone.

If the nurse had made that comment to me, I probably would've thought I "needed" to get a fill. THAT IS TOTALLY UNTRUE!! Although many patients DO need and REQUIRE fills to lose weight, do NOT assume you do.

Do what you feel is right for you, don't let anyone tell you anything different. Best of luck!

[jms462001 9]

I was unfilled for approx. 12 weeks and absolutely LOVED it!!

As a disclaimer, I have always aspired to lose weight with restriction until I learned how to eat, and then planned on living with an unfilled band (just FYI).

Personally, I found it much easier to eat the right foods (chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, etc.) and did so regularly. You can eat slider foods with the band full or empty, so you are always going to rely on some kind of will power.

I felt so free without a fill that I was anxious and unafraid to eat the good foods. I have a very small fill (2cc in 10cc band) and that is definitely my "sweet spot."

My advice is to look forward to being unfilled and use the opportunity to eat the good foods (those that bandsters usually have a problem eating while restricted) without issue. I don't see unfilling as a problem, I see it as the solution, but that is just me! Good luck, you can do this!

My problem was I always ate very healthy foods, but way too much. Hopefully I can control the big appetite now! I did well with less restriction as well. In fact, he filled me to 5.5 for these past 3 weeks leading up to the surgery and I have been miserable and find myself eating poorly and not losing as well as when I have less restriction. have been sick more times (extreme PB) in the past 3 weeks than in the entire 9 months of losing my weight! Swallowing pills is also causing me much distress even though I don't have to take many. I will never allow myself to have this much restriction again. I now understand why people do not lose well when they are just slightly too full and why some people are not happy with their bands!!

[jms462001 9]

I was unfilled for approx. 12 weeks and absolutely LOVED it!!

As a disclaimer, I have always aspired to lose weight with restriction until I learned how to eat, and then planned on living with an unfilled band (just FYI).

Personally, I found it much easier to eat the right foods (chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, etc.) and did so regularly. You can eat slider foods with the band full or empty, so you are always going to rely on some kind of will power.

I felt so free without a fill that I was anxious and unafraid to eat the good foods. I have a very small fill (2cc in 10cc band) and that is definitely my "sweet spot."

My advice is to look forward to being unfilled and use the opportunity to eat the good foods (those that bandsters usually have a problem eating while restricted) without issue. I don't see unfilling as a problem, I see it as the solution, but that is just me! Good luck, you can do this!

My problem was I always ate very healthy foods, but way too much as my body burns few cals and I am unable to exercise much. Hopefully I can control the big appetite now! I did well with less restriction as well. In fact, the Dr. filled me to around 5.5 for these few weeks leading to the surgery and I have been miserable and find myself eating poorly and not losing as well as when I had less restriction. I have been sick more times in the past 3 weeks (extreme PB's) than in the entire 9 months of my weight loss. Swallowing pills also causes me much distress even though I don't have to take many (even tiny ones often get stuck). Now I understand why people do not lose well when they are just a tiny bit too restricted and why some people are not happy with their bands for the same reason!!

[jms462001 9]

Thanks for the post. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't listen to those who say get a fill if you don't need one.

I DID THIS and lived to regret it! Some people WANT the restriction, others don't need it. When I told my Dr I wanted an unfill, he told me of several of his patients who had lost their weight without EVER having a fill. It is different for everyone.

If the nurse had made that comment to me, I probably would've thought I "needed" to get a fill. THAT IS TOTALLY UNTRUE!! Although many patients DO need and REQUIRE fills to lose weight, do NOT assume you do.

Do what you feel is right for you, don't let anyone tell you anything different. Best of luck!

I know someone who had lots of weight to lose and did not get the first fill for 8 months. He lost close to 100 pounds in that time. It is very individual!